Fascism is not an opinion, but a crime!

The International Federation of Resistance Fighters (FIR) – Antifascist Association and its member federations commemorate every year the January 27, 1945, the Liberation-Day of extermination camp Auschwitz by soldiers of the Red Army. To remember the end, it is also needed to face the beginning and the roots of these crimes. That is why we call to remember January 30, 1933 too.

January 30, 1933 is not a “day of remembrance”, it is an obligation for all antifascist-oriented people to prevent any repetition.

It is necessary to prevent the organizations of the labor movement from being prosecuted again. Unionists, Communists and Social Democrats were the first deported to concentration camps whose organizations were persecuted, banned and crushed.

It is important to prevent the democratic rights and freedoms. With “parliamentary authorization“, the rights of the elected parliament were abolished. In the next step, politically dissenters and Jewish scientists were ousted from public life by a ban on the profession and the burning of books.

It is important to prevent war policy once again dominating social life. From the very beginning, co-ordination and the increasing militarization of society up to the practical preparations for war shaped the policy of German fascism.

It is important to prevent racism and anti-Semitism from becoming the maxims of state action. Racist exclusion through pogroms and Nuremberg racial laws created the precondition for the persecution of people of Jewish faith and those who were labeled as Jewish according to racist racial criteria.

FIR recalls that the rise of the fascist forces did not take place in the politically “empty” space. Influential forces from the military, industry, banks and the reactionary elite have significantly promoted and politically supported the rise of the NSDAP.

Therefore, it is necessary to set political counter-signals against all approaches of extreme right-wing politics and fascist ideology.

In addition to remembering the criminal policy, this includes naming the social forces that contributed to the establishment of fascist rule.

This includes facing all approaches of extreme right-wing politics and ideology.

This includes defending democracy and liberties and opposing social cuts.

This includes advocating for actual peace policy and opposing any war policy and war efforts.